2005-2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program

U.S. Department of Education

Cover Sheet Type of School: (Check all that apply) __ Elementary __ Middle XHigh __ K-12 __Charter

Name of Principal Mr. Loren Kleinrock

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)

Official School Name San Marino High School

(As it should appear in the official records)

School Mailing Address 2701 Huntington Drive

(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)

San Marino California91401-2218

City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)

County Los AngelesState School Code Number* 1937754

Telephone (626) 299-7020, ext. 840 Fax (626) 299-7023

Website/URL sanmarinohs.orgE-mail: vfan@san-marino,k12.ca.us

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.

Date

(Principal’s Signature)

Name of Superintendent* Mr. Jack Rose

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

District Name San Marino Unified School District Tel. ( 626) 299-7000

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.

Date______(Superintendent’s Signature)

Name of School Board

President/Chairperson Mr. Joseph Chang

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.

Date______

(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)

*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.


PART I ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION

[Include this page in the school’s application as page 2.]

The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school's eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.

1.  The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12. (Schools with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)

2.  The school has not been in school improvement status or been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s adequate yearly progress requirement in the 2005-2006 school year.

3.  If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language as a part of its core curriculum.

4.  The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2000 and has not received the 2003, 2004, or 2005 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Award.

5.  The nominated school or district is not refusing the OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a districtwide compliance review.

6.  The OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if the OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.

7.  The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school, or the school district as a whole, has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution's equal protection clause.

8.  There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.


PART II DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

All data are the most recent year available.

DISTRICT (Questions 12 not applicable to private schools)

1. Number of schools in the district: 2 Elementary schools

1 Middle schools

Junior high schools

1 High schools

Other

4 TOTAL

2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: $6,768.00

Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: $6,987.00

SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)

3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:

[ ] Urban or large central city

[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area

[ X] Suburban

[ ] Small city or town in a rural area

[ ] Rural

4. 12 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.

If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?

5. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school only:

Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total
PreK / 7
K / 8
1 / 9 / 143 / 132 / 275
2 / 10 / 154 / 147 / 301
3 / 11 / 180 / 140 / 320
4 / 12 / 163 / 158 / 321
5 / Other
6
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 1217


[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.]

6. Racial/ethnic composition of 27 % White

the students in the school: 1 % Black or African American

4 % Hispanic or Latino

68 % Asian/Pacific Islander

0 % American Indian/Alaskan Native

100% Total

Use only the five standard categories in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of the school.

7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 3%

[This rate should be calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.]

(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 15
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 25
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 40
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 1217
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3) divided by total students in row (4) / .0329
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 3.29

8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 5%

57 Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: 6

Specify languages: Cantonese, Dutch, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish

9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 1%

Total number students who qualify: 13

If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from lowincome families or the school does not participate in the federallysupported lunch program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it arrived at this estimate.


10. Students receiving special education services: 5%

63Total Number of Students Served

Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.

4 Autism 2Orthopedic Impairment

0 Deafness 5Other Health Impaired

0 Deaf-Blindness 42Specific Learning Disability

4 Emotional Disturbance 2 Speech or Language Impairment

0 Hearing Impairment 1Traumatic Brain Injury

2Mental Retardation 0 Visual Impairment Including Blindness

1Multiple Disabilities

11.  Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:

Number of Staff

Full-time Part-Time

Administrator(s) 3 0

Classroom teachers 48 8

Special resource teachers/specialists 8 3

Paraprofessionals 1 6

Support staff 16 3

Total number 76 20

12.  Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio, that is, the number of

students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers: 22

13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. The student dropout rate is defined by the state. The student drop-off rate is the difference between the number of entering students and the number of exiting students from the same cohort. (From the same cohort, subtract the number of exiting students from the number of entering students; divide that number by the number of entering students; multiply by 100 to get the percentage drop-off rate.) Briefly explain in 100 words or fewer any major discrepancy between the dropout rate and the drop-off rate. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates and only high schools need to supply drop-off rates.

2004-2005 / 2003-2004 / 2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001
Daily student attendance / 98% / 98% / 98% / 97% / 97%
Daily teacher attendance / 99% / 99% / 98% / 99% / 98%
Teacher turnover rate / 6% / 6% / 8% / 8% / 8%
Student dropout rate (middle/high) / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
Student drop-off rate (high school)* / 8% / 13% / 10% / 10% / 11%

*Because of the quality of the school district and its location close to local business centers, families of business people who will be working in the Los Angeles or Pasadena areas on a short-term basis often choose San Marino for their temporary residence. The majority of these families are from China and Japan. When their work here is completed, they return to their respective homelands. This accounts for the difference between the school’s drop-off rate and its dropout rate. The school has successfully integrated students of these families into the school community. Despite the drop-off, the senior class will typically have more students graduating than entered the school in the freshman year.

14. (High Schools Only) Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2004 are doing as of September 2004.

Graduating class size / 269
Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 80 %
Enrolled in a community college / 20 %
Enrolled in vocational training / _____%
Found employment / _____%
Military service / _____%
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / _____%
Unknown / _____%
Total / 100 %

PART III SUMMARY

San Marino, home of the world famous Huntington Library and Gardens, is a small suburban community of 13,000 people, located ten miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. One public high school serves 1200 students in grades 9-12. The quality of the schools draws families to San Marino, and property values reflect the desirability of the schools. The community contributes a guaranteed $750,000 each year to the Schools Foundation, with this money going directly to the district’s general fund. In the 2002-2003 school year, when the impact of the state’s financial crisis forced the district to look at cuts, the Foundation raised $900,000 in three months to retain certificated positions. Additionally, the community passed two separate bond issues totaling $52,000,000. $34,000,000 of this has gone directly to the high school, allowing the building of state-of-the-art facilities. The PTSA annually raises over $50,000 available to staff for classrooms and programs. Parents at the high school have averaged over 32,800 hours per year in volunteer hours for the last five years. The community also assesses itself an additional tax of $195 per parcel that goes directly to the district’s general fund.

The strong partnership with parents and the community supports an environment of high expectations and promotes strong student achievement. With an Academic Performance Index (API) score of 915 and an average SAT score of 1232 for the most recent tests, the school has continued to enjoy a reputation as one of the finest high schools in California. Last year 80% of students went directly to four-year universities, and 19% to community colleges. Typically, 95% or more of the students pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on the first attempt. Parents expect the high school to provide an education allowing students access to top universities and preparing them to succeed there. A standards-based curriculum is built on a vision that is committed to nurturing students who will develop global awareness, civic responsibility, and critical thinking skills necessary to respond and adapt to the changes of the 21st century.

This vision is expressed in a formal statement that declares, “The mission of the San Marino Unified School District is to create and maintain a learning environment that fosters in students the ability to make choices based upon well reasoned strategies; to develop the capacity to respond and adapt to changing circumstances and environments; to gain an appreciation for learning as a lifelong process; and to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for a diverse, ever changing world.”

Career technical education electives allow students to gain hands-on experience developing marketable employment skills in a variety of fields. Courses include digital photography, architectural design, web page design, small business management, fashion design, theater stage management, media arts/TV production, and graphic design.

The high school has always received a full six-year clear accreditation form the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Based on scores from California’s standards tests (CST’s) San Marino has the ninth highest API in the state, fourth highest among non-magnet (non-selective entrance) schools, and the highest of non-magnet schools in Southern California.

In addition to supporting students’ academic development, the school challenges students to grow as complete people. Students must complete 40 hours of community service to earn their diplomas. A proud tradition of athletic excellence allows the school to boast of 63 CIF championships, more than any school our size in the Southern Section. An annual musical that rivals professional productions highlights an award winning visual and performing arts program.

SMHS is proud of its tradition of preparing students for success in school and in life.

PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS

1. Assessment Results:

The accountability system for the State of California, includes two major exams: the California Standards Tests (CST’s) and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). The CST’s measure progress in mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. The exam is scored at 5 levels for each student: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, or far below basic, with “proficient” indicating adequate understanding of state standards. The overall results for spring 2005 demonstrated that the school-wide performance significantly exceeds the state averages. Forty-three percent of ninth graders state wide achieved the “proficiency” level or higher. Ninety percent of SMHS freshmen were assessed to be proficient or higher. At grade 10, the state average was 36% and SMHS 82%. Similarly, 87% of eleventh grade students met the target, compared to 36% statewide.